Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

-----the right not to be maimed or injured, the right not to discover a bomb under one's car, the right not to be shot as one walks down the street, and the right of a member of the PSNI, who happens to be a member of the Roman Catholic community, not to be targeted and shot by republicans who resent that the PSNI is now a force that substantially represents the different religious groupings in Northern Ireland. That is the ultimate right - the right to live in peace. The State has a right and obligation to protect the wider community on this island. We have a particular obligation regarding the Republic of Ireland and we have an obligation with regard to all those who live in Northern Ireland to do everything we can to contribute to maintaining peace on the island. These provisions are crucial in that regard and I make no apology for their continuation. The number of occasions on which they have been utilised clearly indicates they perform a very serious function in this area.

I listened to Deputy Higgins speak about how he opposed these provisions originally and he religiously opposes them. He then made reference to the atrocity of the Omagh bombing and pointed out that in his view the united rage and revulsion that resulted from the Omagh bombing was all that was needed.

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